At the very end of last year I compiled a number of lists highlighting the top age group performances of the season. These were fastest times seen at any Ironman race in 2012, but with Kona and for some Kona qualification being the focus of the Ironman season, it makes sense to look at the top performances within a qualification period rather than a calendar year. So I’ve repeated the process ahead of this weekend’s race to look at the fastest finishers on the road to Kona.
To keep things simple I’m only present the top 20 age group times here. However, for those who have the patience to make it to the bottom of this page, I’ve included two PDFs of the top 100 age group times along with the top 50 in each age group.
A final note before the lists begin. Ironman courses and conditions vary and although I am listing athletes ordered by their finish times these may not represent the best comparison of performance. There is a good example this year: Ironman Melbourne. Results from Melbourne dominate the lists and while there are plenty of strong triathletes Down Under this is in part due to the shortened swim which saw many athletes out of the water in under 25 minutes. To handle this particular case I’ve produced tables both with and without the Ironman Melbourne results so readers can decide how they want to view the data. However this highlights how times can be heavily influenced by the course and conditions. These are all fast athletes, their precise order is more open to debate.
| Name | Country | Category | Race | Swim | Bike | Run | Finish | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Kyle Buckingham | South Africa | M30-34 | South Africa | 00:53:00 | 04:39:00 | 02:58:40 | 08:34:35 |
| 2 | Robert Brundish | United Kingdom | M30-34 | Copenhagen | 00:53:49 | 04:40:32 | 03:00:20 | 08:39:51 |
| 3 | Geert Lauryssen | Belgium | M30-34 | Austria | 00:55:08 | 04:42:10 | 02:57:14 | 08:40:55 |
| 4 | Anders Christensen | Denmark | M18-24 | Copenhagen | 00:58:11 | 04:40:10 | 02:59:15 | 08:43:31 |
| 5 | Marc Unger | Germany | M25-29 | Frankfurt | 00:54:50 | 04:38:22 | 03:07:10 | 08:45:10 |
| 6 | Müller Urs | Swaziland | M30-34 | Austria | 00:52:55 | 00:00:00 | 02:59:55 | 08:45:14 |
| 7 | Liam Dolan | Ireland | M30-34 | Copenhagen | 01:07:56 | 04:32:37 | 03:00:12 | 08:45:26 |
| 8 | Frederik Lewinsky | Denmark | M30-34 | Copenhagen | 00:53:48 | 04:35:31 | 03:12:28 | 08:46:10 |
| 9 | Christian Gross | Germany | M30-34 | Copenhagen | 01:02:02 | 04:39:05 | 03:02:10 | 08:48:02 |
| 10 | Matthias Buxhofer | Austria | M40-44 | Austria | 00:59:02 | 04:35:50 | 03:07:32 | 08:48:07 |
| 11 | Leigh Chapman | Australia | M30-34 | Western Australia | 00:49:37 | 04:46:50 | 03:07:43 | 08:48:29 |
| 12 | Gilian Oriet | Switzerland | M25-29 | Copenhagen | 00:54:32 | 04:43:28 | 03:03:57 | 08:49:09 |
| 13 | Tim Jacobs | Belgium | M30-34 | Frankfurt | 00:53:11 | 04:50:47 | 02:59:37 | 08:49:53 |
| 14 | Jesper Clausen | Denmark | M40-44 | Copenhagen | 00:53:07 | 04:49:01 | 03:02:33 | 08:49:58 |
| 15 | Tony Delogne | United States | M35-39 | Arizona | 00:54:19 | 04:42:43 | 03:07:36 | 08:50:21 |
| 16 | Martin Lawaetz | Denmark | M30-34 | Copenhagen | 01:02:26 | 04:37:48 | 03:05:14 | 08:50:35 |
| 17 | Thomas Lawaetz | Denmark | M30-34 | Copenhagen | 01:02:51 | 04:34:23 | 03:08:52 | 08:50:45 |
| 18 | Nicolas Beyeler | Switzerland | M35-39 | France | 00:00:00 | 05:50:03 | 08:50:53 | 08:50:53 |
| 19 | Gregers Christensen | Denmark | M25-29 | Frankfurt | 00:54:16 | 04:51:55 | 02:58:19 | 08:50:58 |
| 20 | Matthias Knossalla | Germany | M25-29 | Frankfurt | 01:03:11 | 04:40:17 | 03:02:57 | 08:51:59 |
| Name | Country | Category | Race | Swim | Bike | Run | Finish | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Catherine Faux | United Kingdom | F25-29 | France | 00:59:23 | 05:11:45 | 03:04:47 | 09:22:51 |
| 2 | Manuela Heimerl | Germany | F30-34 | Austria | 00:54:48 | 05:13:13 | 03:17:35 | 09:32:09 |
| 3 | Darbi Roberts | United States | F25-29 | Mont-Tremblant | 00:52:29 | 05:13:34 | 03:20:49 | 09:33:05 |
| 4 | Astrid Ganzow | Germany | F30-34 | Frankfurt | 00:56:15 | 05:01:14 | 03:30:56 | 09:33:25 |
| 5 | Nicole Bretting | Germany | F40-44 | Austria | 01:01:12 | 05:07:16 | 03:23:40 | 09:39:35 |
| 6 | Nina Vabic | Germany | F30-34 | Austria | 01:00:59 | 05:20:44 | 03:14:14 | 09:45:22 |
| 7 | Beate Görtz | Germany | F40-44 | Frankfurt | 01:02:06 | 05:05:28 | 03:32:26 | 09:45:26 |
| 8 | Monique Burger | Netherlands | F30-34 | Copenhagen | 01:00:16 | 05:02:11 | 03:38:40 | 09:45:59 |
| 9 | Christine Heidemann | Switzerland | F45-49 | Florida | 01:05:35 | 04:57:25 | 03:35:33 | 09:46:21 |
| 10 | Sara Tavecchio | Italy | F40-44 | Austria | 00:57:45 | 05:11:58 | 03:29:21 | 09:47:08 |
| 11 | Lillan Sindahl Gl | Denmark | F40-44 | Copenhagen | 01:17:36 | 04:56:41 | 03:25:27 | 09:48:04 |
| 12 | Carolin Lehrieder | Germany | F18-24 | Frankfurt | 00:55:43 | 05:25:39 | 03:23:22 | 09:49:46 |
| 13 | Lucia Thalmann | Switzerland | F25-29 | Florida | 01:10:29 | 05:03:21 | 03:28:41 | 09:49:47 |
| 14 | Hilary Wicks | New Zealand | F35-39 | World Championship | 01:02:41 | 05:16:05 | 03:25:15 | 09:50:03 |
| 15 | Line Foss | Norway | F35-39 | Copenhagen | 01:18:22 | 05:00:19 | 03:22:49 | 09:50:09 |
| 16 | Jessica Fleming | Australia | F35-39 | Australia | 01:00:29 | 05:15:54 | 03:30:20 | 09:50:46 |
| 17 | Sonja Grace Wieck | United States | F30-34 | Brazil | 01:01:47 | 05:08:47 | 03:34:31 | 09:50:49 |
| 18 | Nera Jareb | Australia | F30-34 | Western Australia | 01:05:16 | 05:19:09 | 03:20:02 | 09:50:51 |
| 19 | Danielle Kehoe | United States | F25-29 | World Championship | 01:07:30 | 05:11:26 | 03:27:32 | 09:51:07 |
| 20 | Katrin Esefeld | Germany | F30-34 | Switzerland | 01:09:08 | 05:15:24 | 03:23:14 | 09:51:24 |
All splits are taken from the athlete tracker as are nationalities and age groups. I’ve tried to clean and verify the data to a reasonable extent, but it’s a laborious process and mistakes will have happened. Red rows indicate athletes I’ve managed to identify in the start list for this year’s World Champs. Again I’ve almost certainly missed some.
If I introduce Ironman Melbourne into the mix everything changes.
| Name | Country | Category | Race | Swim | Bike | Run | Finish | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Olaf Kasten | Hong Kong | M40-44 | Melbourne | 00:26:38 | 04:40:45 | 03:02:11 | 08:13:50 |
| 2 | Barry Lynch | Australia | M35-39 | Melbourne | 00:23:14 | 04:54:04 | 02:52:30 | 08:14:57 |
| 3 | Sam Hume | Australia | M35-39 | Melbourne | 00:20:59 | 04:46:58 | 03:04:33 | 08:16:44 |
| 4 | Aaron Richardson | Australia | M40-44 | Melbourne | 00:23:11 | 04:45:42 | 03:04:42 | 08:17:59 |
| 5 | Brian Fuller | Australia | M30-34 | Melbourne | 00:22:37 | 04:47:41 | 03:08:41 | 08:23:33 |
| 6 | Timothy Smith | Australia | M25-29 | Melbourne | 00:25:33 | 04:45:13 | 03:08:22 | 08:24:02 |
| 7 | Damien Angus | Australia | M35-39 | Melbourne | 00:23:37 | 04:41:09 | 03:15:56 | 08:24:47 |
| 8 | Ryan Cross | Australia | M30-34 | Melbourne | 00:24:22 | 04:50:24 | 03:06:54 | 08:26:32 |
| 9 | Xavier Coppock | Australia | M35-39 | Melbourne | 00:25:31 | 04:42:50 | 03:15:20 | 08:27:40 |
| 10 | Nicholas Souter | Australia | M30-34 | Melbourne | 00:24:11 | 04:50:08 | 03:10:42 | 08:29:19 |
| 11 | Ross Young | Australia | M35-39 | Melbourne | 00:24:09 | 04:47:56 | 03:12:15 | 08:29:32 |
| 12 | Benny Lucas | Australia | M25-29 | Melbourne | 00:25:16 | 04:55:21 | 03:04:17 | 08:29:56 |
| 13 | Robert Wormald | Ireland | M40-44 | Melbourne | 00:28:59 | 04:50:56 | 03:05:52 | 08:30:39 |
| 14 | Jaysen Searle | Australia | M40-44 | Melbourne | 00:25:29 | 04:43:14 | 03:18:07 | 08:31:34 |
| 15 | Andrew Walker | Australia | M40-44 | Melbourne | 00:28:15 | 04:50:03 | 03:07:39 | 08:31:43 |
| 16 | Travis Atkins | Australia | M35-39 | Melbourne | 00:26:11 | 04:51:40 | 03:10:27 | 08:33:28 |
| 17 | Nathan Jessup | Australia | M40-44 | Melbourne | 00:26:13 | 04:53:49 | 03:08:17 | 08:33:41 |
| 18 | Hayden Armstrong | Australia | M30-34 | Melbourne | 00:23:45 | 04:50:28 | 03:14:34 | 08:33:51 |
| 19 | Kyle Buckingham | South Africa | M30-34 | South Africa | 00:53:00 | 04:39:00 | 02:58:40 | 08:34:35 |
| 20 | Craig Kirkwood | New Zealand | M35-39 | Melbourne | 00:25:18 | 04:57:25 | 03:07:43 | 08:35:18 |
| Name | Country | Category | Race | Swim | Bike | Run | Finish | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Katy Duffield | Australia | F25-29 | Melbourne | 00:27:29 | 05:16:47 | 03:14:58 | 09:03:39 |
| 2 | Janine Willis | Canada | F35-39 | Melbourne | 00:26:11 | 05:06:13 | 03:29:04 | 09:05:24 |
| 3 | Rhiannon Snipe | Australia | F30-34 | Melbourne | 00:26:28 | 05:23:18 | 03:11:42 | 09:06:08 |
| 4 | Felicity Lloyd | Australia | F30-34 | Melbourne | 00:27:08 | 05:08:49 | 03:28:31 | 09:10:19 |
| 5 | Jessica Simpson | Australia | F25-29 | Melbourne | 00:26:24 | 05:18:25 | 03:29:30 | 09:18:14 |
| 6 | Catherine Faux | United Kingdom | F25-29 | France | 00:59:23 | 05:11:45 | 03:04:47 | 09:22:51 |
| 7 | Sarah Grove | Australia | F30-34 | Melbourne | 00:28:19 | 05:10:48 | 03:37:55 | 09:23:17 |
| 8 | Sara Finch | Australia | F40-44 | Melbourne | 00:29:44 | 05:21:50 | 03:26:16 | 09:24:06 |
| 9 | Tracy Douglas | Australia | F25-29 | Melbourne | 00:31:50 | 05:10:37 | 03:37:07 | 09:25:43 |
| 10 | Elizabeth Stretton | Australia | F35-39 | Melbourne | 00:27:47 | 05:27:09 | 03:26:05 | 09:26:45 |
| 11 | Catherine Thiele | Australia | F35-39 | Melbourne | 00:26:16 | 05:20:21 | 03:35:08 | 09:27:40 |
| 12 | Kristine Reid | New Zealand | F40-44 | Melbourne | 00:26:21 | 05:33:50 | 03:22:01 | 09:28:34 |
| 13 | Emma Brown | Australia | F35-39 | Melbourne | 00:28:57 | 05:21:05 | 03:34:31 | 09:29:43 |
| 14 | Anna Francis | Australia | F30-34 | Melbourne | 00:23:51 | 05:17:31 | 03:45:11 | 09:31:20 |
| 15 | Amanda Wilson | Australia | F25-29 | Melbourne | 00:28:35 | 05:31:53 | 03:24:25 | 09:32:03 |
| 16 | Manuela Heimerl | Germany | F30-34 | Austria | 00:54:48 | 05:13:13 | 03:17:35 | 09:32:09 |
| 17 | Carla Lawson | Australia | F35-39 | Melbourne | 00:27:41 | 05:17:51 | 03:42:29 | 09:32:39 |
| 18 | Darbi Roberts | United States | F25-29 | Mont-Tremblant | 00:52:29 | 05:13:34 | 03:20:49 | 09:33:05 |
| 19 | Astrid Ganzow | Germany | F30-34 | Frankfurt | 00:56:15 | 05:01:14 | 03:30:56 | 09:33:25 |
| 20 | Jo Carman | Australia | F30-34 | Melbourne | 00:27:44 | 05:34:00 | 03:28:02 | 09:34:19 |
There’s a distinctly Australian feel to the top twenties after that. Were I to adjust finish times to account for the shorter swim (as I did before) a number of these results would still remain though.
To finish, as promised, two large (500kb) PDFs containing more complete list of the fastest finishers with the top 100 men and women along with the top 50 for each age group.
